SAFETY OF NAVIGATION IN THE SINGAPORE STRAIT

Fortunately, in the case of the Singapore Strait, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore operates a radar-based Vessel Traffic Information Service VTIS.. There have been numerous o[r]

SAFETY OF NAVIGATION IN THE SINGAPORE STRAIT

I INTRODUCTION THE Port of Singapore is not only the busiest port in the world, it also lies

at the doorstep of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes – the Singapore Strait The Singapore Strait is used by vessels on voyages from Europe/West Asia to the Far East and vice-versa, including vessels entering or leaving Singapore In 1995, more than 104,000 vessels called at Singapore This translates

to about 300 vessel arrivals per day At any time, about 800 vessels are in

port

As these traffic figures show, navigation in the Singapore Strait must take into account interaction between vessels proceeding along the Strait and vessels joining or leaving the Strait when they depart or enter the Port of Singapore respectively It is in Singapore’s interest to have ships navigate safely in the Singapore Strait as an accident would have an adverse impact on the three littoral states and the marine environment If there is one word to describe the challenge

facing us in safeguarding this interest, it is “prevention”

II THE MAIN CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS Investigations into accidents involving Singapore-registered ships indicate that more than 90% of the accidents are due to human error such as failure to take appropriate action or observe good practices of seamanship This appears to

be consistent with the widely published conclusion that 80% of accidents are

caused by human error

Fortunately, in the case of the Singapore Strait, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore operates a radar-based Vessel Traffic Information Service (VTIS) There have been numerous occasions when the VTIS operators were able to inform vessels of impending danger When forewarned, these vessels

took action in ample time and avoided a marine incident

III IMPROVING SAFETY OF NAVIGATION

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The key strategy to improving the safety of navigation is prevention There

is a need to identify the weak links in the whole process of navigation and

to implement preventive measures With more than 80% of the accidents occurring

as a result of human error, there is a special need to address this link in the

process

Generally, there are three broad categories which must be examined These

are:-

a Maps and infrastructure such as hydrography and charts, aids to navigation,

ship’s routing;

b Machines such as ships, equipment, VTIS; and

c Man including shipmasters, ship owners, STCW, and VTIS operators

IV MAPS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

A Hydrography and Charts

The International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) sets the standards for surveys and publication of charts Compliance with its stringent standards gives mariners the assurance of a high degree of reliability when interpreting the charts Countries must survey their waters regularly and update the charts Without updates, suspect areas will continue to be avoided by vessels In so doing, vessels will unnecessarily

converge, especially in narrow straits, and a higher probability of

interaction and conflict will arise

The Global Positioning System (GPS) comprises a constellation of satellites which continuously broadcasts precise position information to GPS users on earth GPS receivers can determine their positions to an accuracy of +/-30m

To improve this accuracy, a radio transmitter broadcasts a correction signal

to GPS receivers This technique is called Differential GPS (DGPS) and results

in accuracy of +/-5m or better

When GPS or DGPS is integrated with the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), the mariner will have precise real-time navigational information, 24 hours a day, regardless of visibility or weather conditions

Mariners will be further relieved of the manual chore of plotting positions on the charts EDCIS provides automatic route monitoring and anti-grounding mechanisms which will greatly benefit the mariner Moreover, ECDIS can be integrated with an Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA) radar which can provide anti-collision alerts and ultimately, enhance the safety of navigation in the

Singapore Strait

Such technology is available and Singapore is studying its implementation

with a view to benefiting vessels using the Strait

B Aids to Navigation

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The IMO, in conjunction with other authorities and professional bodies, has come up with many new ideas to help mariners The International Association

of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) stipulates the systems and standards of aids

to navigation such as lighthouses, beacons, buoys and radio beacons With emerging technology, better and more reliable aids to navigation would become available However, equipment must be maintained and any malfunctions must

be quickly rectified

C Ship’s Routing

The IMO has evolved ship routing schemes into an excellent highway code for ships to comply with at sea The Traffic Separate Scheme in the Straits

of Malacca and Singapore implemented in 1981 has helped to minimise marine incidents By examining the “hot spots” where marine incidents frequently occur,

a modification of the scheme can improve the safety of navigation in those areas With the introduction of precautionary areas at the “hot spots”, mariners

may be more cautious when approaching these locations

Under the principle of ships’ routing, a precautionary area is a routing measure comprising an area within defined limits where vessels must navigate with particular caution and within which a specific direction of traffic flow may

be recommended

D Rules for Vessels Navigating through the

Straits of Malacca and Singapore

There are rules which deep draught vessels and other vessels in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore must comply with when transiting the Straits For example, as supertankers have limited under keel clearance (UKC), navigational warnings are broadcast to warn other vessels of their transit times through bottleneck areas to avoid congestion The rules and procedures which were adopted by IMO have enhanced the safety of navigation in the Straits of Malacca

and Singapore

V MACHINES

A Ships

Ships must comply with stringent requirements for structural integrity and carriage of equipment for the safety of lives and navigation The IMO continues

to identify crucial elements which affect the safety of lives, vessels and cargoes

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The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is an instrument under which measures are taken to ensure safety of lives and vessels Apart from a vessel’s hull integrity, engines must be maintained to certain standards and high reliability Engines should be available for immediate response when navigating in the Straits Engines must be tested before entering the Straits

B Equipment

Radars, gyro-compasses and echo-sounders are electronic navigational aids used

by vessels This equipment must be checked for performance standards and accuracy before use The Global Positioning System (GPS), Electronic Chart Display and Information System (EDCIS) and other emerging electronic navigational aids are technologically driven The IMO is currently considering the adoption

of some performance standards One such system proposed is the ship transponder

system; similar to that used by the air industry

The ship transponder system is an automatic vessel identification and tracking system which can complement the port radar system While radars are able

to pick up the echoes of the vessels, they are able to detect the identities of the vessels With the transponder system, a vessel can send its identity to another vessel or to the shore station Its position can be determined accurately and quickly This is critical when other vessels are responding to a distress call The emergence of such technologies begs the question whether ship masters and officers are getting complacent Problems would arise if there is an overreliance

on automation so that basic seamanship practices are over-looked

However, it is unlikely that ships can do away with such electronic navigation equipment With vessels moving faster and with greater interaction among vessels, such equipment will assist the ship masters and crew There is however

a need to ensure that such equipment conforms to performance standards and accuracy Mariners must know their usefulness and limitations Mariners must

be trained to use the equipment

C Vessel Traffic Information Service (VTIS)

In Singapore, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) operates the Vessel Traffic Information Service (VTIS) VTIS is a multi-tracking radar system which covers the Strait of Singapore and port waters It provides information

to vessels on request When its computer system detects a conflict situation,

it would prompt the operators who will then warn the ships of the potential dangers All this is done without monetary charge to the participating vessels

As such, vessels are encouraged to participate in the VTIS

On numerous occasions, the information given by the VTIS has prevented marine incidents In fact, a reputable salvage company commented that the information given to vessels by VTIS had a bearing on its earnings We have

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taken that as a compliment

Apart from the usual monitoring of shipping traffic, VTIS encourages the participation of very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and unwieldy tows VTIS will track and monitor their movements throughout their transit Navigational warning broadcasts are made to warn other ships of such traffic

VI MAN

A Shipmasters

Shipmasters are responsible for the safe navigation of their ships The critical nature of the management and decisions made by the shipmaster and his crew cannot be over-emphasised Under undue “pressure” from the owners/shore management, however, shipmasters are sometimes pushed beyond their limits

to meet deadlines, thereby compromising on safety

With the International Safety Management (ISM) Code coming into force

on 1 July 1998, ship owners and management are included as partners with the shipboard crew The IMO has clearly made a bold move to bring this Code into implementation for the overall safety of ship management The ship and shore interaction would be better reinforced to reflect the concept that the safety

of the ship goes beyond just the ship and its crew With the commitment and involvement of ship’s crew and the shore personnel, a safety culture will be

nurtured for the benefit of all

B Standards of Training, Certification and

Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers

The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (“STCW”) is an international convention adopted by the IMO

to improve the standards and training of personnel The high standards must

be maintained and members of IMO must be committed in the implementation

of the requirements

Administrations must enforce and maintain the STCW standards Any watering down of the requirements would erode the standards With poor training and lack of control for issuance of certificates, such poorly trained officers onboard ships would only jeopardise the safety of his own ship as well as those of others

C VTIS Operators

The Vessel Traffic System (VTS), with multi-tracking radars, is a costly investment But, it is worth every cent if it can help to prevent a marine accident, save

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lives and protect the marine environment It is necessary that the officers and staff operating the system must be trained to cope with the responsibility vested upon them After investing millions of dollars, it is essential that the personnel operating the VTS must be well trained Again, the IMO has provided guidelines

for governments, authorities and agencies to manage VTS

With the computerised system of alerts and functions of a modern VTS, like the Singapore VTIS, the operators must be thoroughly conversant with the equipment they operate as well as its limitations Such customised training

must be conducted to ensure a well-managed system

VTIS operators must work in partnership with the shipmasters The professional understanding and responsibility must be clear VTIS provides the information and alert to the vessels whenever the system detects any conflict, but shipmasters must ultimately be responsible and take action in ample time

to avoid an incident

VII CONCLUSION Maps, Machines and Man complement each other to ensure safety of navigation With 80% of the cause of accidents due to human error, it is obvious that we must work harder and concentrate on the “Man” aspect of navigational safety More education and training for officers is essential, both on board ship as well as for those on shore Emerging technologies must be tapped for added advantage to assist the mariners and the shore administrators Mariners must

be able to use Maps and Machines to their advantage and know their limitations Maps, Machines and Man – the 3Ms – can come together to form the three sides of a Safety Triangle – a triangle being strong and without a weak linkage All these efforts must be synergised to make the Strait safer and cleaner Singapore

will definitely want to be a part of this effort

But, these 3Ms will consequentially equate to a larger M – that is Money This is inevitable if efforts are expanded to enhance safety of navigation Many people will complain that such efforts will be very costly To these non-converts who do not champion safety as their top priority, we suggest that they ponder over this very commonly heard statement: “If you think safety is expensive,

try an accident”

CAPTAIN MARK HEAH ENG SIANG*

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* Port Master, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.